At about 5:50 a.m. this past Monday (January 16), the North Carolina State Highway Patrol responded to a fatal collision in Catawba County on East Maiden Road near Withers Road. The deceased is 38-year-old Tara Faye Heidemann of Saint Clair, Missouri.

Ms. Heidemann was walking in the travel lane when she was struck by a westbound 2017 Ford Explorer. She was wearing dark clothing and the roadway was not lighted. Ms. Heidemann passed away at the scene. The driver of the Ford, a 59-year-old Denver woman, was not injured. No charges are anticipated.

The roadway was closed for over two hours during the on-scene investigation. The Maiden Police Department and the North Carolina Department of Transportation assisted at the scene.